New PAC Takes on Alimony Reform in Florida

May 29, 2017 by Robert Franklin, Esq, Member, National Board of Directors, National Parents Organization

It’s always good to see the right message delivered in the news media and such was the case here (Central Florida Post, 5/8/17). Deborah Leff-Kelapire is writing about alimony reform in Florida and she hits all the right buttons. I’ve inveighed against our alimony laws before and particularly Florida’s. My take on alimony is that it’s outdated and unnecessary except in rare cases. Plus, it’s bad public policy since it discourages marriage, discourages remarriage and encourages divorce.

Leff-Kelapire takes aim at all those issues and more.

Alimony laws in Florida are antiquated and must be reformed. Florida is an outlier state because alimony can be permanent and is punitive. Permanent alimony may have been appropriate in a different era when the alimony laws were established, but certainly not in the 21st century where the economic reality is such that most women work outside the home.